“That longsword is also a Blood Core weapon. Does it have a name?”
Lorevil cleared her throat, shifting her gaze to the longsword on the table as she changed the subject.
“It does. It’s called Crimson Lotus.”
Leina smiled softly, her gentle demeanor making even Lorevil pause to take a second look.
“Crimson Lotus?”
Lorevil repeated, asking curiously:
“Does it have some special origin?”
“Nothing special. It’s just a memento my father left me. That’s all.”
Leina’s smile faded a bit, a trace of melancholy in her voice.
Her family had passed away early, and she didn’t even know where they were buried.
She never even got to see their bodies.
Thankfully, she still had her mother to rely on, just the two of them clinging to each other.
Over the years, she’d gotten by on the Academy’s scholarship and part-time work.
Her mother worked hard and tirelessly.
Their life wasn’t wealthy, but it was stable.
The only thing Leina found strange was that every month, a few anonymous donations would arrive.
The amounts weren’t large, but they always managed to solve her most pressing problems.
That was why the girl was so grateful to this benefactor.
Though Leina had tried to trace the source several times, it always seemed to come from nowhere, leaving no trace at all.
In the end, she could only let it go.
And precisely because of that, Leina cherished every hard-earned opportunity to improve her abilities.
The members of her squad were the same.
Leina was willing to help them, even to pause her own progress, just as her benefactor had once extended a hand to her.
The conversation had turned heavy.
Lorevil was about to say something when she saw Leina lift her head, speaking softly with a dejection she’d never seen before: “I really envy you, Lorevil.”
“Envy me for what?”
Lorevil asked instinctively.
“Envy how fast you can improve.”
Thinking about it, Leina’s voice carried a hint of bitterness.
The girl’s usual brightness was nowhere to be seen, and a shadow loomed over her otherwise beautiful brows.
“You just broke through to Third Order not long ago, and now you’ve already reached the mid stage, and even awakened a Blood Mark…”
And she couldn’t even activate the true power of this Blood Core weapon.
This was a mentality common among normal Vampires.
Lorevil had never seen Leina so downcast before.
She thought for a moment, about to offer some words of comfort.
“……”
Suddenly, a vague murmur came from the bedside.
Fini rubbed her eyes, looking sleepily at Lorevil, who was in the middle of a conversation.
“What are you two talking about? Lorevil, you’re awake?”
She didn’t seem to notice the shift in the atmosphere at all.
Lorevil breathed a sigh of relief.
She had to admit, Fini had really helped her out.
Just then, Fini’s waking broke the gloom in the room.
Leina, as if startled awake, forced a smile and asked Fini:
“You’re awake? Did you sleep well?”
Fini nodded and stretched, her lithe curves on full display.
“Lorevil, you have no idea how terrifying you were back then. Your eyes were completely red, like you’d become a different person. And on top of that, you actually broke through to the mid Third Rank!”
Fini looked at Lorevil with admiration.
Lorevil glanced at Fini.
Her pretty face still carried the rosy flush of just waking up, and somewhere soft in Lorevil’s heart was stirred.
If Fini hadn’t used the Rejecting Water Ring at the cost of her own injury back then, Lorevil would never have dodged the Swallowing Heaven Devouring Earth Python’s lethal strike.
The Red-Dressed Girl had changed on her side, and her Retrospection ability was something she should avoid using whenever possible.
Death was still a very terrifying thing to her.
So Lorevil ruffled Fini’s soft hair, asking with genuine concern:
“You got hurt for me back then too. How bad was it? Is there anywhere that still hurts now?”
“Hehe, it’s nothing. Just a little scratch, n-nothing to worry about.”
Fini scratched her head, a shy look on her pure face, her ears tinged with pink.
She glanced at Leina out of the corner of her eye.
With Leina watching, being treated so affectionately by the girl made her cheeks burn even hotter.
But in her heart, Fini felt sweet.
The affectionate scene between the two landed in Leina’s eyes.
A flicker of envy passed through them, and her red lips softened.
They really got along well.
When would she ever have friends like that, feelings like that?
She wouldn’t.
Leina gave a bitter smile.
As a Vampire like her, once she lost her strength, what right did she have to make friends?
Being alone was fine.
At least she wouldn’t be betrayed or hurt.
Her mother was right.
Vampires were born lonely.
They didn’t need friends.
Then her gaze fell on the Crimson Lotus sword, and most of the gloom from before faded away.
Just then, the Medical Room door was pushed open, and Vivian walked in.
The loli wore a white robe, her silver-white hair cascading over her shoulders.
Her delicate face carried a faint indifference, and her clear eyes looked at the Vampires before her.
As a Sixth Order Blood Rights Holder who could brew simple potions and occasionally served as the Academy’s healer, her petite frame radiated an incredibly powerful aura.
“Mentor Vivian!”
The faint pressure made Leina and Fini rise and call out respectfully.
“You two go rest for now. Lorevil’s injuries still need further treatment from me. I need to speak with her alone.”
The silver-haired loli frowned slightly, and the air in the room seemed to freeze.
Leina and Fini exchanged a glance, then obediently withdrew.
As she was leaving, Fini even winked at Lorevil.
Seeing this, Lorevil returned a reassuring look.
The moment the door closed—
The calm on Vivian’s little face vanished, replaced by a slowly growing anger.
Her small feet tapped tap tap tap over to the bedside as she looked down at Lorevil from above.
“Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to forcibly fuse a Secret Art during a Beast Tide?”
Vivian glared at Lorevil.
Lorevil knew, actually, that fusing the Secret Art wasn’t something she should have done at that moment, but the situation then didn’t allow her to think it through.
She’d only been thinking about taking down the Swallowing Heaven Devouring Earth Python as quickly as possible.
So when she felt the fury in Vivian’s words, Lorevil understood that she was genuinely worried about her.
As the top authority in the field of Secret Arts, Vivian knew the risks of fusing Secret Arts better than any other Vampire.
“The situation was urgent back then. Fini was injured, so I just…”
Lorevil instinctively started to explain herself.
“No matter the situation, you can’t gamble with your own life. Understand? I don’t know why you’re so indifferent to life, but I hope you can change that mindset.”
Vivian cut Lorevil off, pressing her knee onto the hospital bed, staring at Lorevil with wide eyes, her tone very serious.
“We Vampires may live long lives, but there’s still a limit. Once your Blood Qi foundation collapses, you become useless, just waiting to die. Do you understand?”
Vivian’s rapid-fire words made Lorevil’s heart tighten, and she shrank her neck.
“I understand.”
The scent of the silver-haired loli’s bathrobe made Lorevil shift her position, speaking in a low voice.
“Leina told me about your loss of control. Eyes blood-red, Violent Blood Energy rampaging. That state is just like mine…”
Vivian gritted her teeth, deeply dissatisfied with Lorevil’s actions.
She braced one hand on Lorevil’s right side, the other on the bed, leaning her body forward, staring at Lorevil with complicated eyes.
“Whether it’s because of the Violent Blood Energy or some other reason, I need to know what happens after you lose control.”
“Wait, Vivian, calm down. I’m still injured here!”
Lorevil was pressed down by the petite body so close that she didn’t dare move, only able to lean back slightly.
This position somehow filled her with a strange sense of shame.
But Vivian wasn’t stopping.
“Lorevil, drink this.”
She produced a small bottled potion, containing a pale blue liquid inside…